Hungary For Freedom

Academic freedom must be respected in Hungary: that is the message that Cambridgeshire Euro MP Alex Mayer took from Cambridge students to the European Parliament in Brussels.

Earlier this term, Ms Mayer met the president of Cambridge University Hungarian Society (CUHS) Dávid Péter Kovács and Professor Gábor Betegh, a visiting professor from Bucharest’s Central European University (CEU), to discuss the deteriorating situation for Hungarian students.

Gender studies courses are being cancelled after a government ban and deep concerns continue about the future of the Central European University.

Speaking in the Parliament chamber today, Ms Mayer explained how CUHS members had told her that CEU is a hub for state universities, and attracts high calibre speakers who Hungarian students would not otherwise come into contact with.

She went on to say: “Academic freedom must not be an abstract notion. The right to question all and search for truth is fundamental.”